Backyard Brahmas!!

[livininbrazil]

Am I the only who gets a kick outta watching brahmas run?!?!

My honeys absolutely tickle me to death.

Most of them duck real low and take off like a torpedo and a few kinda do this fast waddle walk. It's a beautiful morning here in French Camp, MS watching my honeys do their walkabout. I hope everybody else's mornings are this great.

The funniest are the cockbirds, I think. they look like they´ve hitched up their skirts and pantaloons and are legging it as fast as they can go, bounding over the small humps of grass....usually to get to a hen.

 

[Sjisty]

I love watching the groups of teenagers. They all stick together in their original groups. One will come tearing across the yard around the barn, and then ... here comes another ... two more ... another ... until they all end up in the back yard. Five minutes later, here they come back around the barn again!

And, of course, they never walk - they run everywhere they go!

 

[trueblue1]

I love seeing y'all's descriptions of your Brahmas running.....

mine do this thing where one jumps up in the air then it's like the domino effect when the others follow suit...we call it popcorn chicken.

 

[livininbrazil]

I love seeing y'all's descriptions of your Brahmas running.....

mine do this thing where one jumps up in the air then it's like the domino effect when the others follow suit...we call it popcorn chicken.

I like it when it´s termite-flying time. they run around everywhere just before dark, when the termites come out after a little rain. You can´t see the individual termites, just see clouds of termites, and these chickens running around in all directions.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I like it when it´s termite-flying time. they run around everywhere just before dark, when the termites come out after a little rain. You can´t see the individual termites, just see clouds of termites, and these chickens running around in all directions.

I can about imagine. Mine do the same thing with grasshoppers. It is hilarious to see them and their big clown feet.

 

[livininbrazil]

I can about imagine. Mine do the same thing with grasshoppers. It is hilarious to see them and their big clown feet.

 

[bamadude]

I saw 1 of mine swallow a whole lizard today. It was pretty graphic for my 4yr old to see

 

[bamadude]

 

[bumpercarr]

Mine used to love catching lizards....and anything else that moved! If you get a chance to look up what a vinagaroon is, imagine the first time that my brahmas saw one of those next to a tree. It was hilarious! They would pick at it, then jump back and make alarm sounds, then pick again, alarm, then pick again....they had no idea what to do with it! Vinagaroons are the most ugly insects ever born, are completely harmless, but are alarming if you don't know what they are and stink to high heaven.

Today, I found the first signs of mites that I've ever seen on any of my chickens. So naturally, after freaking out completely, I sprayed the premises and everyone got a dust bath in sevin dust. The 8 month old that has been touch and go since the attack on the coop really perked up after her sevin dust bath. I think that maybe she had a serious mite problem and that was inhibiting her recovery. Will keep you updated.

In the meantime, I moved the 7 week old pullet survivor in with the 4 week olds (leaving the 8 month old alone in her own coop, she was becoming a little witchy). She (the 7 week old) has recovered nicely, and I felt that leaving her with a witchy pullet that may or may not recover would inhibit her own recovery. She immediately made herself the boss of the 4 week olds, they accepted her leadership, and so far they seem to be accepting each other easily. There were a few moments, but after those passed everyone got along just fine.

Also, I tried to let all of the "babies" out together in the common area (there is a barnyard cock bird that was not in the coop during the attack that is currently lonely in the common). The cock (we'll call him Fog Horn just to be politically correct, after all "cock" has other connotations) started doing a mating dance around the 7 week old. Not happening on my watch, after all, she is still a child! After he and I had a discussion about correct behavior and hormones, he retreated into his coop. He will need to be locked up when I decide to let everyone out again. He was headed for the stew pot before the attack, but since he was a "survivor" from the attack, I was beginning to feel an affinity for him. Guess the stew pot is still calling his name!

 

[CarolinaHen]

I posted this on the Jap board as well, but had to post it here for you all to enjoy!

I tried to get a video yesterday, but was laughing too hard. I let the young ones out to free range for a bit and one of my little mottled japs jumped up and latched onto one of my Brahma's tail feathers. She was so startled that she took off running with the little cockerel holding on.

He finally let go and raced after her with his little short legs. Poor fella.... he hasn't figured out that the tail feathers aren't the ones to grab, nor has he figured out that there is absolutely NO way he will ever be able to be "successful" with her.